Kidnapped
by StellaMalone
Summary: Santana and Brittany are madly in love, but when Santana gets kidnapped and doesn't get found, what will happen?
1. Chapter 1

Santana awoke to a commotion in the next room. The crashing of pots and pans stirred her from her deep slumber. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting to help adjust to the harsh, early summer light which was beginning to seep in through the window. Turning her head, she fixed her eyes on the panda shaped clock sitting on the bedside table which read 7:16 am. She scowled, it was her day off and she had planned on sleeping in for a change. Jamming her eyes closed as she rolled back over, she tried to fall back into an endless sleep- she was definatly not a morning person-but was disturbed soon after by the sound of something smashing, followed by a sharp yelp. The young Latina jumped out of bed unsteadily, rushing to the source of the noise, the kitchen.

"What are you doing Brit?" Santana said as she entered the well-lit kitchen. Slumping against the doorway, she was suddenly wide awake and wiping the sleep away from her eyes. She scanned the kitchen briefly before fixing her eyes on the blonde kneeling in the centre of the room that was carefully picking broken pieces of glass off the floor.

"Brit stop! You're going to hurt yourself" she said, concern laced in her voice. She took a step forward and out stretched her arm to help Brittany up. Brittany hesitated slightly, looking down at the mess before dropping the shards of glass back on the floor which made a 'tinkle' noise as the fell back against the wooden floor. Santana gently led Brittany away from the broken glass, suddenly aware she had bare feet.

"I made breakfast" Brittany said simply as she stood up, fixing her hair slightly. Santana couldn't help but smile at her girlfriends' innocence as she laid a gentle kiss on her lips- one that was initially intended to be a peck, but turned out to linger for longer than originally expected. Santana carefully brushed a loose strand of Brittany's long, blonde hair behind her ear, smiling deep into her sky blue eyes.

"I love you B" Santana said, her voice still rusty from just waking up, but Brittany could still hear the pure honesty behind it. Brittany's smile widened.  
"I love you too San" Brittany took a step backwards, towards the kitchen counter. "Now go sit down, before this gets cold" she said excitedly as she let go of Santana's hands and pulled out a chair for her to sit on. Santana sat down, finally noticing that the table was set, with a bouquet of her favourite daffodil flowers, which were placed in the centre of the round table, in a crystal, clear glass vase.

"Brit…" She started, but trailed off as she leaned in to smell the flowers. She smiled, opening her eyes as she turned to face her girlfriend, who was busy putting food onto the two plates in front of her. "What's all this for Brit? Did I forget about an anniversary or something?" Panic slightly in her voice and she tried to rack her brain for what it could be. Brittany seemed to make a habit of celebrating any anniversary that she could think of. 1/4 of a year together, 3/4... Santana had thought she had writen them all in her diary so as not to forget them, but she hadnt checked it in a while. Brittany laughed as she saw the guilt in Santana's soft, dark, brown eyes.

"Babe, no, it's nothing like that" She smiled and picked the plates up carefully. "I just felt like doing something special for you, because it's your day off and I love you San" she placed the plate in front of the brunette before taking a seat next to her. Santana smiled down at her hot breakfast before leaning in to place a soft kiss on Brittany's lips.

"Thank you" she said earnestly, picking up her knife and fork. "I love you too" Santana couldn't remember the last time she was as happy as she was at that moment. Brittany sure brought out the best in her with her carefree spirit. Santana's smile widened, making her eyes sparkle as she began to eat the food that her girlfriend had spent all morning preparing. Just for her.

Santana and Brittany both sat on their living room faded blue sofa in a comfortable silence, sipping on hot chocolates. Even though it was summer, there was still a cool breeze in the air which made the warm summer air chilly, even in the late afternoons. The TV was switched on, turned down low, but neither of them were watching it. Santana glanced at her girlfriend briefly, noticing the focused look on her face.

"What's up B?" Santana could read Brittany like no other. The furrowed eyebrows and the way she was biting her bottom lip was the look of perfect concentration and meant the young blonde was in deep thought. "Brit?" Santana continued when she got no response. Brittany didn't say anything, but turned to face her girlfriends' concerned face.

"Would you ever consider having kids?" She blurted out suddenly. It caught Santana off guard. She had honestly never thought about the subject. She had never been a kid person, and Brittany knew that, so it baffled her that Brittany seemed so in to the idea. The Latina looked into the blue eyes staring at her. Santana could always read her eyes- They never lied, they always told the whole story.

"Where did _that _come from?" Santana asked, still slightly confused. Silence fell upon them again. Santana noticed Brittany's expression change from her train of thought to a look of guilt. Her eyes narrowed. "What are you not telling me?" She asked matter-of-factly. Brittany swallowed, and averted her eyes, not liking how Santana could read her so well.

The blonde shook her head, looking back at her magazine.  
"Just asking" she said shrugging. She buried her face further into her magazine, hoping Santana wouldnt be able to see her guilty expression which she couldn't take off her face, but she wasn't fast enough.  
"Brit, come on. What is it?" She reached over and gently took the magazine off her, forcing Brittany to lock eyes with her again. Santana raised her eyebrows suspiciously at Brittany trying to mask her expression.  
"Well?" She finally added when Brittany failed. The blonde sighed.

"Rachel's pregnant. She told me I wasn't allowed to tell anyone because she hasn't told Finn yet, but I found the pregnancy text box when I was over there last and- and I hate keeping things from you San but…"

"Babe, stop!" Santana cut her off trying to contain a laugh. "You had me worried for a bit then!" She admitted, a smile returning to her face. "Rachel's pregnant!?" Santana clapped her hands over her mouth in excitement.

"San.." Brittany started slowly. "She can't know that you know, and don't you dare tell Finn just to watch his face freak out." Brittany knew her so well. She had already been picturing his face contorting into the realisation that he had gotten another girl pregnant. She chuckled to herself.

"Okay, okay Brit, don't worry. I won't say anything, I promise" Brittany smiled, looking relieved. Santana didn't promise things very often, but when she did she always meant it.  
"Wait.. Is this why we are all going to her place tomorrow afternoon? I knew she sounded weird on the phone!" Brittany nodded slowly, turning her attention to the TV which was still turned on, but not paying attention to what was on.

"What's wrong Brit's?" Santana asked, noticing something was still bothering the blonde. Brittany paused for a minute, pondering for the right words.

"Are you... happy?" Santana held her breath. She wasn't expecting that. She looked into the blue eyes staring innocently at her, a hint of sadness in them. She searched for answers, clues to why Brittany was bringing this up all of a sudden.

"What are you talking about Brit? Of course I'm happy. Why are you asking?" Santana's words trembled slightly as they tumbled out of her mouth. Deep down, Santana was still the self-conscious, insecure girl she was when she was in high school. It had taken many years to finally be okay with herself, but sometimes she still worried about what people were saying behind her back. She still felt weak at times and sometimes she still felt like she was dreaming. Like one day Brittany would realise that Santana wasn't good enough for her. Brittany always seemed too good to be true. Maybe this was the day she had always been dreading in the back of her mind.  
Brittany sighed deeply.

"Because, I'm so happy right now, and I wanted to make sure you were too". Santana withdrew the breath she had forgotten she was still holding, relief filled her limbs with warmth and love. She kissed the blonde firmly on the lips, smiling to herself.

"I cannot remember the last time I was this happy" she said honestly. "And that's because of you Brit Brit. I don't know where I would be without you babe" she said with a glint in her eye. Brittany's smile turned into a megawatt smile.  
"I will always love you Brit" Santana usually wasn't one for words, especially when they were about feelings, but for some reason she felt like Brittany needed to be reassured. The blonde too used to be quite insecure when they were in high school. Some traits are hard to get rid of, Santana would know. Santana placed a kiss on the top of Brittany's head and linked her pinky through Brittany's. Something which they had been doing since they were young and which always seemed to unite them. "Always and forever B" Santana finished, squeezing the blondes skinny finger against her own. Brittany didn't know why she had doubted Santana being happy. Maybe she had just wanted to hear Santana's reassuring words. She knew she shouldn't doubt her. She was in love with her. Really, honestly. In fact, Santana never leaves her mind. She's always there. Mentally and physically. It's just incomprehensible. She's her one stable force. And even though her life is constantly changing, Santana's place in her life never does, because she knows, her beautiful girlfriend will always be close by. That was really the only reassurance she ever needed.

Santana and Brittany arrived at Rachel's just after 8 pm. It was a warm night, the full moon lighting up the sky quite brightly. They walked up the drive way hand in hand in a comfortable silence, enjoying the cool breeze brush past their faces. Rachel's house was a large, white brick mansion with a vast green front yard. Santana had always loved her house, not that she would ever admit that to Rachel.  
Brittany firmly knocked on the door and heard Finn shout out something from inside the large house which had been left to Rachel by her two fathers after they moved to New York.  
Just as Finn opened the door, Santana's phone started ringing in her back pocket. Giving Finn a bright smile, she quickly gave him a warm hug and excused herself to go answer her phone. It may have been her day off, but she was still on call at the hospital, so she figured it may be an emergency she was being called to.  
Finn lead Brittany into the kitchen, where Quinn, Mercedes, Puck, Artie and Tina were all assembled around the dinner table, picking at dips and bread. Rachel was fussing about by the stove, stirring away at pots and pans, throwing extra herbs and spice where needed.  
After Brittany said quick 'hellos' to everyone and got settled in a chair next to Tina, Santana reappeared in the doorway.

"Hey babe, come sit here" Brittany said pointing to the chair on the other side of her. Santana hesitated slightly before making her way over, giving everyone a once over as she said 'hello' to everyone in the room. She sat down quickly, glancing sideways at Brittany, who was talking to Tina.  
There was another knock at the door, making Santana jump slightly, which Brittany noticed. The blonde turned anxiously at her girlfriend, but Santana looked away quickly, starting a conversation with Quinn across the table.  
A few minutes later, Sam and Kurt entered the room, and sat down at opposite ends of the table.  
It had been so long since they had all been together as a group again. Everyone was so busy these days.  
Mercedes was well on her way to releasing her first album, she now lived in LA and hardly ever had time to take the trip back to Ohio. This had been a once off as she was briefly here to promote her album.  
Sam had gone to university in California to become a music teacher, Artie had gone to New York to persue his dream of being a directer. Puck was a manager at one of the local clubs, which he loved. Free alcohol and more girls than he could dream of. And Tina and Mike both got married and moved to LA to start a family.  
Everyone, it seemed was well on their way to have everything they ever wanted. None of them ever thought their lives would end out this way. Especially not back in high school when they were the school losers in Glee club.

Rachel smiled, emerging from behind the stove.  
"Dinner is ready" she said excitedly, clapping her hands and looking lovingly over at Finn. Santana rolled her eyes. Some things never change, she thought to herself.

Dinner went by quickly, and as everyone talked amongst themselves, Santana was once again excusing herself to answer her phone. They were now sitting in the large, open lounge room, filled with photos of Rachel when she was a child. Her frozen, smiling face looming over them all. There was a karaoke machine sitting in the corner of the room from when Rachel was in high school, and an obsessed Glee student, whom everyone in that room at some point despised.  
Rachel's voice broke up the chatter amongst everyone as she stood up in front of everyone.

"Guys, it's been lovely seeing you all again, it has been far too long! But me and Finn have an announcement to make" she trailed off, holding her hand out for Finn to join her, which he immediately did. A crooked smile glued to his face, his scruffy hair tousled and sticking up slightly. The room fell deadly silent, as everyone stopped to look at the couple standing before them. Silence filled the room as everyone awaited eagerly to hear the news.

"We're pregnant!" Rachel finally announced proudly, sub consciously rubbing her stomach. There were cheers within the room as Tina and Quinn immediately went up to congratulate the two with giant hugs.

"Congratulations dude!" Puck said, with a smirk on his face. Brittany scanned the room, suddenly very aware of Santana's absence.

"Where did Santana go?" Brittany asked, interrupting the baby talk as she stood up.  
Everyone hushed, looking around the room and also noticing the Latina's absence.

"She was outside last time I saw her" Sam piped up. "I'll help you look for her if you'd like" he said as they walked out of the room.  
Sam could tell Brittany was worried, he knew her pretty well back in the day. He used to be in love with her, but deep down, he always knew she was in love with Santana. He put his arm around her, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly, receiving a small smile from Brittany's pale lips.

After a quick scan in the backyard, it was clear that Santana wasn't outside. There wasn't even any sign she had been out there. In fact, she was nowhere to be found. She was simply- Gone.

Confused, Brittany walked to the front of the house, only to notice that the car they had arrived in was missing.

"Weird…" She trailed off to Sam, who was still with her. Her heart started beating faster as she tried to think of where she could have gone.

"Maybe we should go back inside" Sam suggested, leading Brittany back inside. "We can try call her on her mobile." Brittany nodded her head, her eyebrows furrowed in deep confusion. Why would Santana have left without saying anything? Where would she have gone? Did Santana not want to be with her anymore? Was this her way of telling her it was over? No, even for Santana, that was mean. She wouldn't do that to her. Maybe she had to go to work. Brittany's head was filled with questions. Questions that no one knew the answers to- No one but Santana.

Brittany dialled the familiar number she knew by heart, and put the phone to her ear. Everyone was watching her, all wanting to know what had happened to the young Latina. Silence filled the air, as they all tried to hear the other end of the line.

Brittany bit her lip as she listened to the soft ringing of the phone. On the fifth ring, Santana answered. She sounded out of breath as she was panting heavily on the other end.

"Santana?"

"Shhhh, Brit" Santana whispered on the other end. Brittany's heart began to race again.  
"What is happening?" Brittany asked, instantly aware something was wrong.  
"Ben's here" Was all she said. Brittany's face turned a sickly colour of yellow at the name of her girlfriend's ex.

"Where are you?" Brittany managed to ask, despite the lack of saliva in her mouth.

"I'm at home" Santana's voice was muffled "Oh shit"

"Santana?" Brittany's voice was getting louder.

"Brit, go to the police, you have to go to the police. Tell them to look for Ben- Oh shit- Tell them.. Tell them.." Her voice was getting frantic as she spoke. "Im so sorry, I love you Britta…" Brittany heard loud footsteps on Santana's end, followed by a scream before the line dropped dead.

"Santana? SANTANA?!" She dropped the phone, her face pale, her hands shaking.

She'd been taken.


	2. Chapter 2

Brittany rushed through the front door of her and Santana's apartment, closely followed by Sam, Finn and Rachel, who had insisted they come with her, worried about the state she was in, as well as what had happened to Santana. They hadn't gotten much out of Brittany after she hung up her phone. Just the words; 'Ben, Santana, kidnapped..' And they had put the rest together. It wasn't hard to work out what had happened judging by the way Brittany's face morphed into a pained expression- and the mention of Santana's ex made everyone shiver. To say things ended badly between the two would be an understatement. Santana had dated him in high school, when she was going through her 'bitch phase' before she had realised who she was, before she admitted that she was in love with Brittany.

She had met Ben at an overage party, which she had snuck in to with a fake I.D Quinn had gotten her. He was a bad boy, which is what drew the rebellious, young Latina in. He was 21 when she met him, she was 16.

Brittany stopped dead in the door way. The apartment was trashed. Chairs were turned over, plates in the kitchen lay smashed on the ground, photo frames hung crooked on the walls.  
"Oh my god" Brittany stuttered, putting her hands up to her mouth. She walked around the apartment, hoping to find Santana somewhere, hoping this was all some sort of sick joke. But she knew she wouldn't find her, she knew it was real. Santana wouldn't have joked about Ben. Not after what had happened.  
Not after everything they had been through.

Brittany was finding it hard to stand up. Her legs were shaking, her head was spinning. She felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to throw up and scream and cry, all at the same time.  
Instead, she leaned against the wall, putting her head in her hands. She had to think of what to do next, but she couldn't think straight. Sam placed his hand gently, but firmly on her shoulder.

"Brit, we've called the police. They're on their way" he said calmly. "Come sit down" Brittany shook her head. Even if she wanted to sit, her legs wouldn't move her. Finn and Rachel returned from searching the house.

"She defiantly isn't here" Rachel said grimly, proving their suspicions. Brittany closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly.

"This cannot be happening" she whispered to herself, but loud enough for everyone to hear it. There was a knock on the door, startling them all.

"I'll get it" Finn said softly. He left the room, and when he returned he was leading two police officers into the messy lounge room where the others were gathered around Brittany, who was still leaning against the wall looking small and lifeless.

"Brittany Pierce?" The elder police officer asked as he approached the group. He looked as though he was in his early forty's. He had a kind face, with plump, pink cheeks. He took his hat off, his short, black hair was carefully combed back neatly. It reminded Brittany of how Blaine used to wear his hair, full of his strawberry scented hair gel.

"Yes, this is Brittany" Rachel stepped in after a short silence. The policeman nodded, pulling out a note pad from his top pocket.

"I'm going to have to ask you a few Questions Brittany, is that okay?" He had a deep voice, that didn't seem to match his kind face somehow. Brittany nodded, feeling light headed again.

"Maybe we should sit down" The policeman suggested, noticing Brittany didn't seem too stable. He gently put his arm on her forearm and carefully led her to the faded blue sofa which Brittany and Santana shared many memories on. She closed her eyes again, trying to fight back tears and allowed the police officer to lead her there. The others followed in silence, not knowing what to do or say to make Brittany feel better. They knew that nothing would help her unless it was news that Santana was back… Or at least, news as to where she could have gone. But they didn't have any of the answers, so they kept their mouths shut.

"Now Brittany" the elder policeman began after they were settled on the couch. "I'm Constable Adam Cook, and this is Officer Sanchez" he said, nodding towards the female officer standing in front of them. She was younger, maybe in her mid-20's. She had short, dark red hair which hung just above her shoulders.

"Brittany, I know it's hard, but we have to ask you a few questions" the female officer finally spoke. She had a strong British accent which Brittany liked the sound of. Brittany swallowed.

"Okay" she managed to say. Officer Sanchez smiled warmly at her.

"We need you to tell us what happened" Constable Cook resumed. "Every little detail, even if you don't think it's important." He hovered a pen over the note pad he was still holding, waiting for Brittany to talk. She told them about how Santana had been on the phone before she went missing, and what she had said when she called.

"Do you know which room she was in when you were on the phone to her?" Constable Cook asked as Brittany finished talking. Brittany shook her head and the police man scribbled something in his pad. "If you don't mind, Officer Sanchez and I are going to take a quick look around and see what we can find. See if we can find any clues." Brittany opened her mouth to talk, but couldn't find the power to speak the words, so instead she closed her mouth and nodded numbly. The two police officers left the room quietly speaking softly amongst themselves. Rachel took a seat next to Brittany, putting her arm around her broad dancers' shoulders. They sat in silence until the Officers arrived back in the room half an hour or so later.

"Is this Santana's phone?" Officer Sanchez asked, holding up the familiar black flip phone which was usually permanently attached to Santana. Brittany had never known her not to go anywhere without that thing. It was her life line, so to see it in the room without Santana upset Brittany and added to the realisation that something had happened to Santana. Something bad.

"Brittany, we need to know who Ben is" Brittany looked up suddenly at the mention of the name.

"Why?" Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she remembered Santana's pleading voice on the phone about telling the Police about _him. _

"Because there are numerous messages and phone calls from him on Santana's phone" the red head said slowly. Brittany looked up, confused.

"There can't be. She would have told me he was talking to her again" she said simply. "I would have known. It cannot be possible. I would have known something was wrong- She wouldn't have lied to me…" Brittany trailed off, and Rachel's arm tightened around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, but it's true. They date back to several weeks ago. Some of them are quite threatening." A dull silence filled the room. "He could be the link to all of this Brittany" the young Officer added. Brittany nodded. She couldn't keep her mouth shut, especially when she could help find Santana. She _had _to find Santana.

"Ben is Santana's ex" she started softly, blinking back tears. "She met him when she was 16, at some party. I don't really know what she saw in him. Santana was like that though; you never really knew what she was doing. Which is why she did it, I guess. She liked to keep people guessing…" She paused slightly before continuing.  
"He seemed nice to begin with," She admitted reluctantly. "But then he turned… Weird… He started showing up to her house unexpectedly at weird hours of the night, he started being really protective about her. He wouldn't let anyone else hang out with her. He refused to let us be alone together. He took her phone off her so that she couldn't talk to anyone but him… And then he got… Violent. And she stayed with him. I guess she got scared… Which isn't like Santana. So for her to have been scared means it was bad. Like—Really bad. She doesn't really talk about it much. At all infact…" Brittany stopped, looking up and seeing Finn and Sam sitting in the corner quietly. "He threatened her, that if she left he would kill her" she took a big gulp. "And then she got pregnant…" She looked down at her hands in her lap, unable to look anyone in the eye. "And he made her kill it. He gave her drugs to kill it. But she didn't want to, he forced her too. And then she finally realised she had to get away. She moved schools, changed her number, she came to live with me so that he couldn't find her. And for a while it worked—and she got happier. It took a while, but I helped her through it. We all did" she nodded in the general direction of her friends.  
Constable Cook put down his pen.

"I think we know enough. We have his number on Santana's phone. We will find him" he said reassuringly. But Brittany didn't real reassured. She felt terrible. She was the only one who knew just how bad Santana had been after the relationship finally ended.  
She had been the one who put her to bed every night, who woke up to her screaming in the middle of the night after having one of her nightmares. She was the one who talked her into going to see a councillor and who went with her to every session. She was the one who held her hand on what would have been the anniversary of her unborn baby's birthday. She was the one who picked her up at 3 in the morning after Santana went out drinking with Quinn, and who showered her after she threw up from drinking too much after she had just wanted to forget, for at least a few hours.  
She had been there through the lot of it. Through thick and thin, no matter how bad it was. And it got better. It took a while, but it did get better. She soon started sleeping through the whole night, and stopped going out drinking, started going to University, became a nurse. She realised that you only live one, that life is important and that she had so much to prove.  
Brittany was proud of her. More proud than Santana would ever know. Santana had always been strong, even at her weakest moment, she was still stronger than anyone Brittany knew.

She couldn't let Santana go through that again.  
She had to find her, even if it was the last thing she did. There was no way Santana would make it through that again. She had only just made it through the first time. Brittany could not bear to see it happen again. She _could _not let it happen again. She loved Santana too much to let her suffer again.  
She had to find her.


	3. Chapter 3

The police didn't leave until late that night. When they eventually left, they assured Brittany that they would do everything they could to find Santana, and that they wouldn't stop until she was found. They took Santana's phone with them so that they could give it to the forensic section to go through, to see if any information as to Santana's whereabouts could be. They also took several photos which they could use for news reports and articles for people to be on the lookout for her. Finn, Rachel and Sam left shortly after, despite their plea's to stay and keep Brittany company, Brittany assured them that she would be fine. She honestly just wanted to be alone. She wasn't in the mood for people feeling sorry for her, and she didn't want looking after.  
When she was finally alone, the small house suddenly felt huge and quiet. She longed to hear Santana's soft laugh bouncing off the walls of the small apartment, or to hear her singing in the shower or to see her sitting lazily on the sofa with her feet on the coffee table, flicking through a gossip magazine.

She walked into their bedroom, and pulled on Santana's favourite t-shirt, which hung loosely against Brittany's thin frame. She inhaled deeply, smelling the light scent of Santana's perfume in her nostrils. For the first time since she met Santana, she felt alone. Like nothing mattered.  
She lay on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest and squeezing her eyes shut. The sudden, deep pain in her heart was so bad, she felt like her whole world had come crashing down on her. She couldn't believe Santana was missing.  
She lay there for what seemed like hours, maybe it was hours, she didn't know. Eventually she fell into a restless sleep, tossing and turning.

She woke up suddenly, her eyes shooting open. Her breathing was short and heavy. Beads of sweat dripped down her face, her hands were clammy. She subconsciously reached over to hug Santana, who always comforted her after a bad dream, but her hands were met by emptiness. They touched the cold blankets where Santana should have been. She was wide awake now, the memory of Yesterday's events rushing back to her. She rolled over, unable to look at the empty side of the bed next to her any longer. She lay there for hours. Not moving, trying not to think.

Hours turned into days.

Days turned into weeks.

Weeks turned into months. And still, there was no sign of Santana. Not even the faintest trace.

Brittany started losing hope. It seemed hopeless. But one day, three and a half months after Santana vanished without a trace, Brittany received a phone call.  
Officer Sanchez was on the other end, her British accent was soft and gentle as she informed Brittany that they had some information she would be interested in, and that she should come in to the police station right away.  
She arrived at the station an hour later. She would have been there sooner, but she had to have a shower as she couldn't remember the last time she had had one and even she knew she smelt worse than a trash can.  
She was greeted at the head desk by Officer Sanchez herself who had been waiting for her. Smiling warmly at her, she led her into her office, where Constable Cook was waiting. He nodded a 'hello' as the two women entered the room and both sat down in comfortable armchairs. Brittany started fiddling with a loose thread on her jumper as she waited for them to tell her why she had been called in. It didn't take much waiting before Constable Cook began speaking, his deep voice filling the room.

"Now, Brittany" he started gently. "I know we haven't had much news for you since Santana's disappearance, but we have recently had a discovery. We got lead of an old, abandoned warehouse which we have reason to believe Ben has been visiting quite frequently. We have had several sightings from builders from a nearby sight that someone who drives a black SUV has been at the sight nearly every day. They didn't think much of it until yesterday, when he was seen carrying a young girl into his car who matches Santana's appearance" He stopped, not breaking eye contact with Brittany. He saw her flinch slightly as he spoke his last sentence.  
"We sent a team out there this morning and we found proof that someone has been staying there, and for quite some time by the looks of it. The good news is Brittany, is that he knows we are on to him now, which is probably why he moved Santana. But we now know what car he has, which will be a big help in the search. Black SUV's tend to stand out. He is getting sloppy, which is going to work in our favour. He isn't going to be able to hide her forever." He placed his hand on Brittany's shoulder. "I know it's been a hard three months, but we're getting closer." Brittany's mind drifted off. She was findin it hard to concentrate. Her mind had been spinning after the mention of her being carried out of the abandoned building. Why had he been carrying her? He wouldn't have killed her… Would he? No, he wouldn't do that. He _couldn't _do that. But she knew what he was like. Deep down she knew it could have been possible. The thought terrified her. Her body started shaking. She felt light headed. Even though she stay seated, it felt like the room was spinning out of control.

She felt like her heart had been ripped out.

Suddenly there was an aura of grey around her. It was a mist that wouldn't rise. A state of depression that she couldn't see herself through.

She felt a terrible weight on her shoulders. It was as if a giant boulder was laid on her and she couldn't straighten up or catch her breath entirely.

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

She left the station in silence. She shouldn't have, but she drove herself home.

She should have been crying, but she was too numb to even think about crying.

There was a giant hole in her heart and she knew nothing would ever be the same.

She looked like death and she didn't care.

Her eyes were puffy from crying because she couldn't stop crying for the last five hours. She was dehydrated, and sore. Sobs raked her body; no one should be able to cry that hard. She hadn't even cried that hard when her dad had died.

More weeks flew past.

Christmas came and went. The snow melted away, and summer came back around.

She didn't hear anything. She didn't do anything. She refused to see anyone. She refused to talk to anyone. She stopped returning phone calls, stopped answering the door, stopped functioning. If she couldn't have Santana then she didn't want anything.

It was selfish, and she knew that. But life just didn't feel worth it anymore.

It felt hollow, empty, and useless.

It was the day she felt like she was no longer able to go on that she received a phone call from the Police. She almost didn't answer the phone, and when she finally answered in on the sixth ring, she wish she hadn't bothered.

"Brittany, we've found her, but we've got some bad news..." Constable Cook said grimly. Brittany's heart raced, her mind blacked out. She collapsed to her knees, landing with a heavy thud on the wooden floor, her whole body shaking.


	4. Chapter 4

Brittany ran straight to the reception desk of the emergency room in the local hospital where Santana was a nurse.

Constable Cook and Officer Sanchez were both waiting for her- Both looking quite grim with the news Brittany knew she didn't really want to hear. She couldn't remember driving to the hospital- Let alone where she had parked her car. Her mind was too set on the fact that they had found Santana. _Her _Santana. Life was about to go back to normal. She couldn't fathom the fact something could go wrong. Not when Santana was back. If Santana was there, everything would be okay. Wouldn't it? Brittany's brain was full of questions, some which she would never get the answers to.

"What happened?" She gushed, out of breath and panting slightly as she slowed to a walk. The year off dancing sure was taking it's toll on her fitness. Officer Sanchez glanced sideways at Constable Cook.

"Brittany, come with us" she said calmly, putting a soft hand on Brittany's shaking shoulder. Brittany allowed the young red head to lead her to a small office a short walk away from the reception desk. They all sat down, silence filling the small, dull room as Constable Cook pulled out his little spiral notepad.

Even though the room was warm, a shiver ran down Brittany's spine. She bit her lower lip and played with her hands nervously in her lap.

"What happened?" She repeated, unable to take the silence anymore.

"Brittany, like we told you on the phone, we have indeed found Santana" Brittany felt a rush of relief flood through her body which left the minute he began talking again.

"However," Constable Cook cleared his throat before he commenced. "She isn't in a good state."

"Where is she? When can I see her?" Brittany's heart raced. She still couldn't believe something could be wrong. She _wouldn't _believe it. She had to see her.

"She is in surgery at the moment. She had extensive wounds and internal bleeding in the brain, the surgeons don't know if she will survive through the night- She may not even make it through the whole surgery." Brittany felt her heart stop beating. She felt the colour was away from her face. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Her tongue felt too big for her mouth, like it didn't belong. It was dry and cracked and out of place. She closed her mouth slowly, her eyes darted frantically from Constable Cook to Officer Sanchez, waiting for them to continue speaking.

"We have a team out investigating what exactly happened, but we have evidence to believe that he tried to stage Santana's own suicide…" Officer Sanchez stopped briefly. "Are you sure you are ready to hear this?" She said sounding concerned as she saw the look on Brittany's face. She looked like she was about to throw up. Brittany nodded her head. She had to know what had happened.  
Officer Sanchez looked at Constable Cook, who motioned for her to continue. Officer Sanchez nodded and took a deep breath.  
"Her wrists were slashed. We know that she didn't do it herself because the x-rays show that she was unconscious while it was happening. She had a cracked skull which she received from being struck on the head with great force- possibly by a metal pole by the looks of the x-rays and the bruising. She also had a lot of bruising, a hairline fracture on her wrist and several broken ribs, most likely from being held down with force. She was only just found in time, so she was incredibly lucky on that behalf. We have a search team out looking for Ben. By the looks of things, he panicked, tried to dispose of the body and ran." The red head stopped suddenly. Brittany knew they weren't telling her something, but she couldn't bear to ask. She was too scared to hear the answer.

Her head was spinning a million miles per hour, her mind was racing. She swallowed, her mouth still felt dry.

"When can I see her?" She managed to ask, not bothering to look up from her hands which lay limp in her lap.

"She is due to be out of surgery in one hour" Officer Sanchez replied, glancing at her watch. She passed a bottle of water to Brittany carefully. Although the blonde needed in desperately, she couldn't find the strength to open it.

"If you like, we can stay with you until we hear something" Officer Sanchez said with kind, hazel eyes. The blonde shook her head sadly. She wanted to be alone. She couldn't handle them both there making small talk and feeling sorry for her.

"We are going to have to come back to talk to you again by the end of the day" Officer Sanchez informed her. "Go through some paperwork and see how Santana is doing, hopefully she will be awake so we can ask her some questions".  
Brittany was only half listening. She couldn't concentrate. She was shaking. Her palms were sweaty and her head was burning up. The thought of Santana was the last thing she remembered, before everything went black.

Brittany woke up in a small bed, surrounded by four white walls. She knew instantly that she was in the hospital. She was hooked up to an IV drip, the machines next to her making constant beeping as they sounded out her heart beat.  
It wasn't long before a nurse entered the room. She was in her early thirties, with dark, long hair which was tired behind her head in a pony tail.

"Ahh, Brittany" She smiled kindly. "Good to see you're back with us. Nothing to worry about, you were just a little bit dehydrated and in shock. This is completely understandable after the news you just heard." Brittany looked at her, confused.

"Where is Santana?" The nurse stopped fiddling with the tubes on the drip and turned to face her.

"She is out of surgery" She said after a while. "There were a few complications, but she is stable now. She is in an induced coma until the swelling in her head goes down, but she's one tough girl". Brittany smiled slightly. Santana was the toughest person she had ever met, that's for sure.

"Is she going to be okay?" Brittany asked, looking into the nurses chocolate brown eyes.

"All we can do right now is wait and hope for the best. But right now, everything is looking smoothly" she said with a bright smile.  
"Now Brittany, you need your rest" The nurse finished at the machines next to Brittany's bedside and walked towards the door. "Try not to worry about Santana, she is in good hands". She smiled again at Brittany before walking out of the room, leaving the door open.

But Brittany didn't want to rest. She wanted to see Santana. She wasn't _going _to be able to rest until she had seen Santana. She pulled the IV out of her arm and unattached all of the heart monitors attached to her chest as she slowly got out of bed, pulling her clothes on which were thrown on the chair next to her bed.

She knew the hospital relatively well, as she often visited Santana there. She walked straight to the emergency side of the hospital where she knew they would be keeping her. Walking down the brightly lit hallway, she looked in every room she passed, until she saw her.

She stopped briefly at the door, working up the courage to walk in. She didn't know why, but she felt nervous. Maybe because she didn't know what to expect when she walked in.  
She walked up to Santana's bedside. She winced at the sight of her face. It was blue, swollen and stitched up. Her perfect lips were now cracked and bleeding. Her arm was in a cast, her hair was mattered, her nails were torn and broken. This was not Santana.

She looked so tiny and pale in the hospital bed. She looked so defenceless, so weak and so vulnerable- all the things Santana was defiantly not, which made it so much harder. Brittany found it hard to look at her. It hurt her to look at her. She didn't know how she would have been able to survive with the injuries she was showing. She felt terrible just thinking of all the possibilities that Santana had gone through in the past year she had been missing. She placed her hand on top of Santana's. Running her fingers over her soft, caramel palm. She looked at the bandages around her wrists from where they had been slashed.  
She looked away, she couldn't bear to look any more. It was breaking her heart. She couldn't even begin to know the pain and hurt Santana must have suffered, let alone the pain and suffering she still felt now. Brittany wished it was her lying in that bed. Santana didn't deserve this. She had been through enough already in this sick world. Why should bad things keep happening to good people? It just wasn't fair. Brittany kissed her softly on the cheek, trying not to put much pressure on her so as not to hurt her. It wasn't fair for Santana to get taken away from her. Not like this.  
Suddenly the beeping on the machines attached to Santana's limp body started to accelerate and get louder. Brittany looked up to see the spikes on the heart monitor machine jumping to ridiculous high mountains on the screen. She stood up, panicking.

"Help! I need help in here!" She shouted, not looking away from Santana. Within seconds, four nurses and doctors rushed in, all running to her bedside attending to the machines and instruments around them.

"Get her out of here!" One of them shouted, looking at Brittany.

Another one of them came over and whisked Brittany away, despite her protests.  
The nurse shut the door in front of Brittany's face, just as she heard the slow hum as Santana flat lined.


	5. Chapter 5

The doctors rushed past Brittany, entering Santana's room and leaving just as quickly. They were gone before Brittany could ask them what was happening. She tried to peer into the room, but it was no use- There was no way of seeing through the blinds.

Eventually, a doctor approached her, wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck.

"Brittany?" He questioned.

"Yes" She replied simply. "What happened to Santana?" She said urgently. The doctor paused slightly.  
"She crashed, but she is stable now. She still may take some time to wake up though. Her injuries were pretty severe. She has been through a lot" He added.  
"Can I see her?" Brittany's voice sounded small. The doctor nodded.  
"Of course" the grey haired doctor opened the door for Brittany to walk through, shutting it gently behind her.

Brittany was once again staring at the stranger that was Santana.  
She looked smaller than she had before.  
Paler.  
Like she was fading away into the white sheets surrounding her.

Brittany winced slightly. She didn't like to see her like that.  
She approached the side of her bed slowly and sat on the chair facing her. She linked their pinkies together- Something that always made her feel better. But it hurt not to feel the pressure back from Santana.

"Please Santana, you have to wake up. I need you. I cannot do this without you. Just open your eyes. Please." Brittany pleaded, staring helplessly at Santana's lifeless body.  
But there was no response.

As weeks went past, there was still no sign that Santana was improving.  
Her wounds began to heal, and the swelling in her brain improved, but she still wasn't waking up. The doctors told Brittany that it was up to her when she would finally wake up.

Brittany wondered if she wanted to wake up. Maybe she was happy where she was now.  
Wherever that was.  
Somewhere peaceful, probably. Where dreams come true.  
Brittany stopped her train of thought- She shouldn't be thinking like that. That makes her sound as if Santana was dead. And she wasn't. Brittany couldn't handle that.  
So she stopped thinking about it.  
And started praying for her to wake up.  
She wanted life to be back to normal. She wanted to be happy again. She wanted to hear Santana's laugh, and see her smiling and get to wake up every single morning next to her.  
She wanted to be out having a good time with Santana and all their friends, singing and dancing like they used to.  
She wanted to go to New York, like they had planned.  
She wanted to get the puppy they had been talking about.  
She wanted to grow old with the person she was in love with.

It broke her heart not knowing if she would ever get to experience these things. The things she had been looking forward to so much.

She looked down at Santana.  
Something had changed.

She peered in closer.  
Watching.  
Waiting.  
Santana's perfect lips twitched.

Her eyes flickered.

Her pinky tightened on Brittany's.

Brittany's heart skipped a beat. As she focused on Santana, so hard that she wasn't blinking.  
Was she dreaming? Was her brain playing tricks on her because she wanted this so badly?  
Santana's eyes flickered open, assuring Brittany that this was real. Brittany paused, looking down into Santana's face. The chocolate brown eyes that she had missed so much. The ones she longed for were looking back up at her for the first time in…. She couldn't even remember.

"Santana…" Brittany whispered, stroking Santana's pale, warm cheek. She smiled down at her.  
"I'm so happy you're awake"

Santana's eyes darted frantically around the room. She looked scared.

"It's okay San" Brittany assured her gently. "You're safe now, you're in hospital." Brittany saw the relief wash into her eyes.

"Britt…" She said weakly, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

"Shh… San, just rest for now, okay?" Brittany kissed the top of her head gently. "Just relax."

Santana kept glancing around the room, as if she was expecting someone to jump out at her. She bit her lip nervously.  
"Where is he?" She didn't need to say his name. Brittany knew she was talking about Ben.  
"I don't know…" She replied honestly. "He hasn't been found yet. But it's okay San. He won't be able to get you in here. Or anywhere for that matter. I am going to look after you S."  
"Britt, you don't understand. He will find me and he will get me. I was meant to die. When he finds out I'm alive… I don't know what's going to happen." Her eyes were frantic. She looked terrified.  
"San, he isn't going to find out. How would he? You have to stop thinking about him."

The door opened, which made Santana jump. A nurse walked in, holding Santana's chart.  
"Santana!" She said smiling. "I'm glad you're back with us, it was just a matter of time" She said cheerily. The nurse busied herself looking at the machines, writing notes down on the paper she was holding.  
"Are you okay Santana? You're heart rate is a bit high. What's wrong, how do you feel?" The nurse asked, turning around to face her.  
"I'm okay, considering, I guess" Santana said in a dry tone.  
The nurse smiled politely.  
"I'm going to have to contact the police; they wanted to know when you woke up. Would you feel up to talking to them?" Santana huffed. She didn't want to talk to them at all. She knew they were going to ask the questions she didn't want to think about. But she knew there was no way she would be able to get out of it, so she eventually nodded. She wouldn't be able to deal with it if Ben wasn't found soon. She knew she would be too on edge until he was found. Especially after what he had put her through. She shuddered at the thought.  
The nurse finished examining Santana, and left the room quietly to call Constable Cook.  
"Are you sure you're up to talking to them now S? You can always do it another day" Brittany's voice was full of worry. She had never seen Santana so edgy. Not since they were in high school.  
"I have to Brit" Santana said simply.

It didn't take long until Constable Cook and Officer Sanchez walked into the room. After introducing themselves to Santana, they took a seat on the other side of her bed, opposite Brittany. Brittany squeezed Santana's hand, and couldn't help but smile when she felt the pressure of Santana squeezing her hand back. Santana's hand felt clammy, Brittany knew she was nervous. She could tell that she didn't want to talk about what had happened. To be honest, she didn't really want to hear it. She knew it was going to break her heart.

"Now, Santana" Constable Cook began after they were all settled. "I know this is going to be incredibly hard, but we need to know every single detail about what happened. Starting from the night you were taken." He was holding his spiral notepad in his big, left hand, a pen poised over the lined paper.

Santana took a deep breath, and nodded her head.

"Well it all started when he started texting me again. It took me a while to figure out who it was… I didn't have his number, he didn't have mine. I don't know how he ended up getting it. They weren't much to begin with, he just said he missed me and wanted to see me. But when I stopped replying they got… Threatening. He started saying that if I didn't start replying he would come find me and make me regret that we ever broke up. Then he started calling me off a blocked number. I answered it thinking it could have been someone from work, but it was him.  
He called me the night he took me. When we were at Finn and Rachel's" She said, glancing at Brittany.  
"I went outside so I could hear the phone better, and he was there. Waiting. He had followed us there. He caught me off guard, he knocked me out before I had even seen him, and I don't know what he hit me with. I didn't even see it. The next minute I knew we were in my car and he driving, and he kept saying; 'You need to give it back. You have it, I know you do! Where is it?' But I had no idea what he was talking about. He took me back to our apartment because he wanted me to get this thing I apparently had. I managed to kick him and get away from him, which is when you called Brit. But I wasn't strong enough. And then when he found me, I tried to fight. I really tried. But he was so strong; I just couldn't get away from him." Constable Cook kept looking down to write in his notepad.  
"Do you know where he took you?" He asked looking up from his pad to look at Santana. She shook her head.  
"No, there were no windows, and he always locked the doors."  
"What happened while you were there?" He asked gently. Brittany saw Santana wince.  
"Why do you have to know?" Her eyebrows furrowed. She looked so vulnerable.  
"It could be vital to the investigation. It will help us understand why he did what he did."  
There was a long silence before Santana finally continued speaking.  
"He used to make me take drugs. He put them in my food, and once I realised what he was doing, he would inject them in my arm because I stopped eating" she pulled her sleeve up, showing the raw, red marks which were still there after all these weeks. They made Brittany's heart clench.  
"They made me black out. I would wake up with a fuzzy memory, unable to remember what had happened. I lost hours, sometimes days. Who knows, maybe even weeks at a time. I don't know" Santana's eyes started watering; Brittany could tell she was desperately trying to stop the tears from falling. Santana hated looking weak. There was no way she was going to cry in front of the Police. She didn't even like Brittany seeing her cry, it was a rare moment when it happened.

"I would wake up with bruises, cuts, scratches, with no memory of how I had received them. Or _why _I had gotten them. He would tell me that if I tried to escape he would kill my friends and my family one by one. And I couldn't risk that. I would never have forgiven myself he had done something to someone I love.  
Then, one day I woke up, and I was somewhere different."  
"Yes, we have proof that he moved you at least once" Constable Cook confirmed. "Do you remember anything else?"  
"I know he wanted to kill me. When I woke up here, for a minute I thought he had succeeded. But I don't remember how I got away" She finished. "It's just…. Black…" She was getting frustrated. She didn't like that she couldn't remember.  
"Why did he do this to me?" Santana's voice was starting to waver as she fought back tears.  
"That's what we are trying to find out" Officer Sanchez said. "But Santana, you are safe now, there is no need to worry anymore. We have a whole team out and they will not stop until he is found. And he will be found. There is no doubt about it. But until then, you have to rest. I think that's enough questions for now, we will get out of your hair for a bit."

Santana was starting to get sick of people telling her what she had to do. She didn't want to talk again. She was sick and tired of the looks people were giving her.  
She watched the police leave, and turned to Brittany, finally letting tears fall down her pale cheeks. Brittany stood up, pulling the brunette into a hug.  
"It's okay San, it's all going to be okay!" Santana didn't say anything, she couldn't. She sobbed like a three year old into Brittany's chest. She hated that she looked like a child, but she needed to let it out. It felt good to let it all out. Eventually, Brittany pulled away to look at Santana's tear streaked face, wiping the remaining tears away.

"I'm sorry—" Santana started, but Brittany cut her off.  
"Don't be silly S. It's okay to cry. I cry all the time" Brittany said trying to lighten the mood. But Santana winced.  
"I hate that I made you cry."  
"_YOU _didn't. What _he _did to you did…" Brittany trailed off, realising she shouldn't have said anything.

"I'm just so… Angry" Santana said, her eyes sparking. "Angry at what he did. Angry that I can't remember any of it! Angry that I wasn't strong enough. Angry that I didn't fight enough.  
I stopped trying to escape Brit, that's how weak I was.  
I gave up hope. I didn't think I was ever going to get away. I thought I was going to die. And so I got used to the idea, and in the end, I was okay with that. I'm such an idiot, I should have fought harder."  
Brittany stroked the brunettes cheek with her fingertips.  
"It's okay Santana. Really. No one would have been able to fight that whole time. You are so brave. And I love you Santana." Santana shook her head. Brittany frowned, confused.

"No, if he finds out that I am still alive, he will kill you. I can't let that happen. I would never forgive myself. You can't love me Brit. You just can't." Santana looked away, trying to hide how hurt she was at what she was making herself say. "Please Brit, for your own good, please leave."  
Brittany looked hurt. She didn't know what to say. How had things suddenly gone back downhill so suddenly? She didn't understand. She finally had Santana back and Santana didn't want her.  
"Why are you doing this?"  
"I just told you" Santana snapped. She was starting to sound a lot like the 'old' Santana. The 'high school' Santana. 'Bitch' Santana.  
Brittany's lip trembled. But she wasn't going to let Santana see how upset she was.  
"I'm not leaving" Brittany said, putting on a brave face. "I'm staying here. I'm going to look after you. Because I _love _you" She said, emphasising the last part, and Brittany saw Santana's face soften slightly as she spoke the three last words.  
"I'm not worth it Brit. Just leave it, okay? I don't want you here anymore. You have to leave." Brittany opened her mouth to reply, but Santana spoke before she had the chance.  
"Please Brit, don't argue with me. I don't want you here" she said, her bluntness cutting through Brittany like a knife.  
"Fine" Brittany said simply. Standing up, she took one last look at Santana, before walking out the door.

She left quickly. She didn't want Santana to see the tears that had already started falling before she had even closed the door.  
She didn't want Santana to know how hurt she had been by her words.  
But if she had have turned around as she left, she would have seen that Santana too was crying.  
She hadn't meant anything she had said. But she had to say it. She couldn't risk the only person she had ever loved. She would never be able to live with herself if he got to her. He didn't care what he did to her, as long as he went nowhere near Brittany. Brittany didn't deserve any of that.

But she had to find him first. She had to fix things.  
She couldn't have Brittany around while she did it.  
She couldn't let Brittany know the truth about what had happened while she had been in Ben's hold.  
She didn't want anyone to know the truth. And Brittany was too good at reading her—She couldn't lie to Brittany, even if she wanted to. Which is why she had to make her leave.

Because the truth would hurt a lot of people.  
The truth was never pretty.

But she had to tell the Police, because the truth would lead them to Ben.  
The truth would lead them to her 7 month old daughter.  
The truth was out there.  
She knew he wouldn't hurt their child. She saw how he looked at her.  
And because of that, she knew that he would be close.  
An easy target. He would be weak, vulnerable. Especially since he though Santana was dead.

But his time was up. It was time for Santana to fight back. To make up for her being weak. To make him pay for what he did to her.

Like they always say: Don't get mad, get even.

-

**I know guys, I'm sorry. It's another cliff hanger. But at least you have most of the answers this time! Please review and let me know what you think  
x**


	6. Chapter 6

_Santana opened her eyes, squinting through the dim lighting to see where she was, but it was no use. It was too dark. She tried to moved, but she felt a sharp pain pierce through her left arm. Holding back a yelp, she looked down to see a large gash on her lower arm. She winced, remembering how she had got it, how sharp the knife was how easily he had done it. She was nothing to him- Merely just an object for him to play with. She tried to sit up, but couldn't because her right arm was tied down, so she couldn't escape. _

_She heard a noise from across the room, which made her heart accelerate. She jerked her head towards the sound, instantly aware that someone else was in the room. She was ready for him this time. Yesterday he had caught her off guard when he had taken her. Today she was going to fight back, she was going to escape. _

_She waited for him. She watched the dark shadow as it came closer to her until he was so close that she could see the whites of his eyes. His eyes were full of evil, full of hate. His eyes scared her. She had never seen eyes like that. So dark, so empty, so lifeless. He smiled a crooked smile which made Santana shiver. He leaned in closer and stroked her temple with his cold fingertips. _

_This is what Santana was waiting for. Now was her chance. She dug her fingernails into his neck, making him scream with pain. As he jumped backwards, she managed to kick him right in the gut, making him double over and gasping for air. _

_Santana desperately started trying to untie herself, but one handed- it was useless. Before she could even loosen the knot, she felt a hard blow to her face. He'd hit her. Hard. It brought tears to her eyes, which she somehow managed to blink away. She couldn't let him see her cry. She didn't want him to win. He grabbed her free arm and held it down, tying a cord around it, just above her elbow. He pulled a needle out of his back pocket. Santana could see the anger in his face as he lifted the needle up to her arm. The realisation of what Ben was doing hit Santana hard as she started trying to pull her arm away, but he had all his strength into it. _

"_No, please don't!" She pleaded. He didn't say anything. He didn't even look her in the face as he injected the drugs into her. The prick of the needle stung, even more so because Santana was still struggling to get away. She didn't want to give up. No matter how useless it was. _

_He stood up, still silent. Santana could already feel the bruise forming from his strong hold on her. She slumped back down, looking away from the monster standing before her. She fought to stop the tears. She hated feeling weak. She hated that she was losing. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek as the drugs slowly took over. Making her weaker. Making her unable to defend herself._

Santana woke up screaming. She was sweating and hot and restless. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she though it was going to break through her skin. She looked around the room nervously, relieved that she was in her own house. As the relief slowly washed over her, all the memories started flooding back. They were never far away. Now she couldn't even get away from them in sleep. He was still winning and Santana couldn't handle that.

She reached for her phone, automatically going to dial the one number she knew off by heart. But she stopped when she remembered why she couldn't.

No matter how badly she wanted to tell Brittany that it was starting again -Her dreams were back. The cravings were back. She needed the drugs that she had been fed for over a year and she didn't know how to say no to the cravings- She couldn't.

All she knew was that she couldn't involve Brittany. She couldn't risk anything happening to the only person she had ever let herself truly love.  
She didn't like Brittany knowing she was weak.  
She honestly didn't know how she was going to do it, but she was going to have to do this by herself. It shouldn't sound as hard as it felt, I mean, all she had to do was say 'no', but right now, it seemed impossible. And she knew eventually, she would cave. The cravings would get too much. She had been through this before. But this time, she would have to fight for herself and not let anyone help her.

Santana got up slowly, walked to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Her heart had only just stopped racing after her dream. She sat down at the kitchen table, too scared to go back to sleep. She knew the dreams had only just begun and she knew they would only get worse as the cravings got bigger and deeper.

She had to find a way to stop this. She couldn't let the dreams come back. The dreams were the worst part, they were the reason she always caved to the cravings. They are the things that made her life hard.

She sighed, and took another sip of water from the glass she was still clutching to, her knuckles were white from squeezing the glass too tightly. Her forehead still felt clamy.

"Pull yourself together Santana!" She whispered to herself firmly.

She walked slowly to the kitchen and slumped down on the couch, flicking the television on.

If she wasn't going to go to sleep, she had to do something to keep her mind off things.

Keep her mind off the cravings.

Keep her mind off _him. _

The fact that he was still out there. Somewhere. And that terrified her. But she didn't want to show the fear she felt. Because that meant he was still winning.

She wouldn't let him win. Even if it was the last thing she did.


	7. Chapter 7

Do you ever wonder why life turns out the way it does? Do you believe in fate? That everything happens for a reason? I used to. I used to be a strong believer in karma- That if you do a good deed, you get something good in return. Well I don't believe that anymore. I haven't for a long time now. It just doesn't explain what I did to deserve this. You may think I sound selfish right now, and maybe I am a bit. I mean, there are kids out there with no food, clothes or clean water, and here I am complaining about my life. And okay, maybe that doesn't seem fair, but what happened to me isn't fair either. It's just a different context.

I used to be a normal, happy girl. I had my family, my friends and my girlfriend. I had money, a roof over my head and decent grades. I was head cheerleader, I was popular- I was everything guys wanted, and everything girls wanted to be. Okay, so I was a bitch. But that still doesn't mean I should deserve this. No one should deserve this.

Life was good. I was happy, honestly happy, for the first time in a long time. I felt like I was on top of the world, in a way I was.  
But on the 3rd of January, 2011, something happened. Something that would change my life forever. Something I would never be able to forget or run away from. Something I am still stuck in now.  
I don't know where I am. Maybe I never will figure it out.  
But I don't care anymore.  
I've given up fighting.  
There's no point. Not when you no longer have anything to fight for.

He used to make me do things for him.  
It's probably not what you're thinking. No, he didn't make me sleep with him, or anything like that.  
He would make me fight.

He told me he used to watch me. Observe me.  
I used to be angry at myself. Why did I always have to make myself stand out? Then maybe I wouldn't be here. Then maybe I would be somewhere safe. Somewhere familiar. Somewhere other than hell.

I don't know who he is. I've never seen him. He wears a mask whenever he enters the room. It's one of those creepy Halloween masks that have no expression. The ones that just look… Lifeless.  
It suits him though, because he can't be human. Humans shouldn't be able to do this to other humans.

So now you're probably curious.

You're probably wondering how I got here and what I have been through.

Well, so am I.

I used to count the days I had been here. I marked them into the wall under my bed so he wouldn't see them. I used an old, rusty nail to scratch a long line into the yellow, rotting plaster.  
But along the way, I lost track.

I counted up to 375 days before he found it.

I will never forget what happened when he discovered it. The scar on my right arm will always be a reminder.

I stopped counting after that. Even in my head.  
Just in case he still somehow found out.

Like I said, I don't think he's human.

I have had many theories as to why this happened to me. But none of them fit.  
I don't know how he found me. Or why he decided to pick me.  
I wish he hadn't. But if he hadn't picked me, there would be another girl in my place, and I wouldn't wish this upon anyone. Not even my worst enemy.  
See, I'm not the bitch everyone used to think I was.  
But I've changed. This would change anyone. I'm not the same person now that I was coming into this place. I used to be young, innocent, with my whole life ahead of me.  
Now it's all been taken away.

I'm done fighting. I'm done trying to make him happy. He's not going to let me go. Nothing I do makes him happy, so I'm not going to try anymore. What's the point?  
I'm sure everyone has forgotten about me by now anyway.  
Just like the time my mum forgot me at the supermarket that time when I was five.  
If I was forgotten about in an hour, there's no chance for me after the years I've been in here.

I still remember the day I was taken as if it were yesterday.

January 3rd, 2011.

It was the day my life was turned upside down.  
When everything changed forever. It was the worst day of my life, and that is including every single day I have spent in here. Because that was the day everything I cared for was taken away.  
My parents, my girlfriend; Brittany, my friends.  
It was all gone, in the blink of an eye, in less than a second. I don't think I will ever get to see them again. I've stopped hoping. Even my dreams aren't giving me hope anymore.

I miss Brittany the most.

When I first got taken, I was heartbroken. She needed me. I needed her.

We had been planning on moving to New York when we finished school. She was going to become a dance teacher and I was going to coach the Cheerio's at Columbia. We had it all planned.

But plans fall through.

I often wonder if she went without me after I left.  
I hope she did. She would be a great dance teacher. I will never forgive myself if my disappearance stopped her from following her dream. Especially since mine was so viciously taken away from me.  
I didn't even get the option to pursue my dream, so I hope she got a chance at hers.

The last time I saw her used to be my favourite memory. It was my happy place, where I went to when things in hell turned evil.

I still go there occasionally.

But I'm finding it harder to remember. I'm finding it harder to remember the small details.  
So I'm going to write it down. I'm going to tell you what happened.  
I don't want to forget. Not completely. I can't forget what I used to have; otherwise all I will have is my hell. I don't want to ever forget who I used to be, what I used to have. I don't want all my happy memories to be taken.  
I don't want him to get what he wants. I don't want him to have the satisfaction. I don't want him to know that I am forgetting, because if he knows, then I have lost. The game will be over. And I don't want to know what happens when I lose.

**January 9th 2011.**

As I drifted off to sleep, I heard something at my bedroom window. The 'tap, tap tap' of something softly hitting the glass. I opened my eyes sleepily, glancing at the round alarm clock sitting on my bedside table, which read 12:45. Confused, I got out of bed and pulled up the blinds. Brittany's small face was peering through as she carefully balanced on the tree branch just below my window sill.

"Jeez Britt!" I shouted as I quickly opened the window. I grabbed her hand for extra support, scared she might slip as it had been raining all day. I helped her climb the rest of the way up, noticing how wet and cold she was.

"How did you even get up here?" I asked, looking down at the long gap from my bedroom window to the ground.

"Ground, rock, tree... Balcony... Tree…" she trailed on, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Did you walk all the way over here Brit?" I questioned as I shut the window to stop the chilly breeze from coming in. She nodded, shivering slightly. I went to my wardrobe, and found her clean, dry clothes and threw them in her direction which she happily put on.

"Get in bed, you are freezing. I can't believe you walked all the way here! It would have taken you ages!" I rummaged around trying to find an extra blanket to wrap around her to warm her up. She did what she was told, she hadn't realised how cold she had been until she felt the warmth in her limbs. Her teeth chattered and she pulled the blanket up to her chin.

"Why did you walk here?" I asked, finally spotting the polar fleece blanket I had been looking for.  
"I had to talk to you" She said quietly.  
"And you couldn't have called?" I turned around, blanket in hand.  
"It had to be in person" She said simply. I froze, not liking the way that sounded.  
"Why? What's wrong?" There was a hint of worry in my voice, which I failed to hide and I know she picked up on it. I could tell she was thinking, trying to find the right way to word what she wanted to say. I could read her like no other. The way her eyebrows were furrowed and how she was biting her lip, was the look of deep concentration.

"Are you happy?" She finally asked. That caught me off guard.  
"Where did _that _come from Brit?"  
"Well, I had a dream—" I couldn't help but smile at my girlfriends innocence. A wave of relief flowed through me as I realised what had been bothering her. I withdrew a breath I didn't realise I had been holding as I remembered the blanket I had in my arms, I walked over to the blonde sitting in my bed, and wrapped the blanket around her for extra warmth, kissing her gently on the temple.

"Okay Brit, what was your dream about?" I sat down next to her, pulling the blanket over my legs.  
"Well, we were about to leave for New York because school had finished, and we were about to get on the bus, and when I got on, the doors behind me closed and you started laughing at me Santana. You laughed!And then you walked away. And the bus took off, and everyone on the bus started laughing at me." I stifled a giggle. God she was cute.

"Brit, you know I would never laugh at you if that happened. I would never leave you. I love you too much babe." She smiled slightly, but her eyes were still sad, so I kissed her gently on the lips. It was only intended to be a peck, but it lingered on for longer than expected. I brushed a strand of damp hair behind her ear.  
"Is that what was worrying you? That was why you walked all the way over here B?" I asked gently, looking into her sky blue eyes which I knew so well. She nodded.  
"And because I missed you. I wanted to see you" she said honesty written all over her face.  
"Well, I'm glad you're here. You can be my pyjamas" I said winking at her and nudging her playfully. She fell quiet again.  
"Are you though Santana? Happy, I mean?" She continued with her first question, which I never answered. I didn't think I had needed to. Brittany could be pretty insecure sometimes though. Not that I could talk. I used to be incredibly insecure. That was before I finally admitted that I loved girls the way I was meant to feel about boys. I felt more confident after the secret was out… Once everyone got over it that is.  
I looked into her eyes, they never lied. I wanted to know where these questions were coming from. Why was she suddenly questioning my happiness? Was it really just because of her dream?  
"Of course I am Brit. I have honestly never been happier." That seemed to be all Brittany needed to hear, because her smile grew into a megawatt smile. I hugged her closer to me, breathing in the soft scent of her apple flavoured shampoo and kissed the top of her head.

I smiled. I was in love. I didn't even think it was possible. Especially since the person I love, loves me back. It was fate. Or so I thought. I don't believe in fate anymore. This isn't the fate I was meant to have. This isn't fate, this is a nightmare. A nightmare that I cannot wake up from. It's never ending, and no matter what I do, I can't change the events.

I'm running out of time.  
I have lost the will to live. I have run out of strength.

It seems hopeless, but I'm going to use whatever sanity I have left to escape.

But even in my dreams I never escape.

I'm trapped in hell forever.

Santana frantically opened her eyes and looked around the room.  
She was at home sprawled on the couch, where she must have fallen asleep; the TV was still switched on. She blinked away her dream. Her old life. The life she wanted to forget.

She took a deep breath.  
She hated how easily he got to her.  
She hated that even though she had escaped, in a way he still had her. He had her mind. He was always in her head. But maybe that was what he wanted.

She grabbed her car keys from the table by the front door, throwing a pair of flip flops on as she walked out the door.

She had to find him. She couldn't live like this any longer.


	8. Chapter 8

Santana stared blankly out the window. It had been raining for the past few days, despite it being well into summer. She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, pulled it out and seeing Brittany's name on the caller ID threw it on the ground. It was the only way she felt she could keep ignoring her. By pretending she didn't exist. It broke her heart. She missed Brittany. She craved her gentle touch on her skin, her heavy breathing on her neck as she slept... But she couldn't give up. She was doing this to keep her safe.

Santana had been working out a plan on how to find Ben and their daughter.  
She had spent her sleepless nights piecing it all together. But she couldn't go in alone. He was too strong for her. He would easily over power her. Especially while she was in the state she was in. Craving, tired.. Broken.

She picked her phone up off the floor and dialled Puck's number.  
He picked up on the fourth ring.

"Well, well, well. Are you calling to tell me you woke up of your coma and now you're straight?" Puck laughed, Santana could almost feel him smirking down the phone.

"You wish Puck" she screwed up her nose at the thought of ever dating him again. "Look, I need a favour. Can you get Finn and Sam to help out?"  
Hearing the urgency in her voice, Puck agreed straight away.

"I'm on it, leave it to me" and then he was gone. There was a knock on the door, which made Santana jump. She looked through the peep hole cautiously, hesitating slightly before she opened the door.

Brittany was standing there, coffee in one hand and a box of doughnuts in the other. The blonde smiled down at her as she pushed her way through the door before Santana could do anything about her being there.

"Brit-" Santana started, but Brittany cut her off.

"You're pushing me away" It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Santana winced, seeing how badly she was hurting her girlfriend.

"Brit-" she tried again.

"No, Santana, wait. I know what you went through last time. I was the only one who stood by you. I want to be there for you again San. We both know how hard it was last time" Brittany ignored Santana's glare. She knew she hated being reminded how weak she was. "Santana, stop pushing me away. Im your _girlfriend. _Let me be there for you. We can fight this together."

"No, Brittany" Santana shook her head. Brittany narrowed her eyes, giving her Latina girlfriend a once over. She noticed for the first time since she had walked in how badly Santana was shaking. Her skin looked pale, her lips chapped, her eyes were red and had giant, black bags under them. Brittany took a step forward, pulling Santana into a tight hug- The ferocity of it winding both of them.  
It was then that Brittany realised how thin Santana now was. She could feel her bones digging into her, and hear her shallow breathing.

"San," she said gently as she put Santana at arm's length to look into her eyes. "Your cravings are back, aren't they?" Santana winced, she thought she was hiding it well. She had actually forgotten how well Brittany could read her.

"Come one, I'm going to make you some lunch. You look like you haven't eaten a proper meal in weeks" Santana didn't interject to tell her she in fact _hadn't _eaten in weeks. Instead, she allowed Brittany to lead her into the kitchen and she sat down at the table, sipping the coffee Brittany had brought over.

"So, what do you feel like eating?" Brittany said, a smile finally appearing back on her face for the first time since she entered the house. Santana raised her eyebrow playfully.

"Surprise me."


	9. Chapter 9

After they had both eaten, Brittany lead Santana into the lounge room and they both sat down on the couch. Brittany turned to face the Latina, who Brittany could see was trying her best to stare straight ahead without acknowledging the blonde.

"San, please talk to me" Santana didn't move. She didn't even blink. "San, please" Brittany tried again. "I don't like seeing you like this, it breaks my heart. Especially because I know how tough you are. If someone says something mean to you, then you usually beat the crap out of them or slash them with your vicious, vicious words. You're stronger than you think Santana." Brittany paused for a moment, taking the time to examine the Latina's face- Or what she could see of it anyway. Santana was still staring straight ahead, her brow slightly furrowed, her lips tightly pursed.

"I don't know what happened to you while Ben had you, but you have to fight, you cannot let him win. Not this time, San." Santana winced at the mention of his name, but still refused to look at Brittany. "I know you are having the cravings again. I know you cannot deal with this alone. I'm worried about you Santana, I saw what you went through last time, you need me. I _want _to be there for you. Please don't push me away. I can see you are struggling. My beautiful, strong, talented girlfriend..." All of a sudden, Santana snapped. Before Brittany could say anything else, Santana was standing in front of her, with a look in her eye Brittany had never seen before.

"Seriously Brittany? You don't think I can look after myself? You think I need my girlfriend to look after me? Well newsflash Brittany, I don't need you! Stop telling me how much I'm struggling, stop telling me I look like crap and that I can't do this alone. I don't need, or want to hear that! Grow up Brittany! Life isn't easy, and I'm not going to drag you into my shit. I got myself into this mess, I will get myself out. If you don't want to see me like this, then go away and let me deal with this myself. Alone. Without you." Brittany's eyes were wide open and watery, but she didn't want to cry in front of Santana. She couldn't. She had often witnessed Santana's bitchy side, where she told the truth, no matter how brutal. But she had never, _ever _been on the receiving end of it before. She never thought she would ever be, and she did not like it. She instantly felt sorry for all the others before her. Brittany stood up quickly. She had to get out of there before the tears came. She pushed past Santana and walked out of the house.

"Brittany, wait!" The blonde hesitated at the front door, keeping her back to Santana. She didn't want her to see the hurt in her eyes.  
"Do you want to know what he did to me?" That made Brittany turn around. Santana was leaning on the door frame. Brittany wondered if she was leaning on it because she was too weak to stand up straight.  
"What?" Brittany whispered, shaking the thought out of her head. Santana paused for a minute, searching for the right words.  
"Everyday, he would show me a photo of you. You were the girl I left him for, and he despised you for that. So every day, he would come in, and tell me a different way that he planned on killing you. And every day, he asked me if I would rather he killed you, or he killed me. And every day Brit, EVERY day, I told him I would rather it if I died. I told him that he wasn't allowed to touch even one hair on your head. But that came at a price. It wasn't the answer he wanted of course.  
He would cut me till he hit bone, and then stitch it back up without any pain relief. He hung me till I passed out, and then he would bring me back to life. He broke my bones with a baseball bat, ripped out one of my teeth with pliers, pulled off my fingernails..." Santana trailed off, blinking away tears. "I know I'm strong Brit, but I'm not _that _strong. Eventually I gave up. I stopped talking for a few days, but that didn't work. And then one day, my options changed..."

_Santana opened her eyes, squinting against the bright light. She looked around, but couldn't see past the harsh light that was shinning down in her face. The heat of it was making her sweat. She tried to move away from it, but she was stuck. Her arms were tied behind her, chaffing against whatever was wrapped around her wrists. She tried to scream for help, but no sound came out. Her mouth was dry and her throat ached as if she hadn't had anything to drink in weeks... Maybe she hadn't... She couldn't remember._

Her mind was foggy. Empty.  
Her memories were gone.  
Her body ached. It felt sore and swollen and every breath seemed to rattle through her.  
She felt lightheaded and dizzy, every movement she made caused the whole room to spin around her. Or so it felt.

She heard a door swing open and footsteps enter the room. The sound echoed out around her, jumping off the walls. She tried to see who was there, but once again, she couldn't see past the light. Her heart started racing. It felt like it was pounding in her throat, trying to escape. She could hear someone breathing, which made her hair stand up on end. She tried moving her feet, but like her arms, they were tied up. She felt week, and helpless and scared.

"So, Santana," came a familiar deep, husky voice. It seemed to come out of nowhere, which startled the Latina. She had almost forgotten for a minute that he was there. She had hoped he was gone.  
"I have a different proposition for you today" Santana could hear the footsteps coming closer, then she felt hands clasp down on her shoulders, making her jump. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying this was some sort of messed up dream, but when she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the burning, bright light, which burnt her eyes and made them water.  
Santana hung her head down, as all the memories started flooding back to her. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of his face. His twisted, evil face. 

_"Ben, why are you doing this?" Her voice was raspy and barely above a whisper. He laughed a low, hollow laugh which rang around the small room, making Santana shudder.  
"I'm making you pay for what you have done" he said simply. "Now, like I said Santana, I have a new proposition for you." He vanished from Santana's sight for a minute, and when he returned, he lifted the light above the brunettes head so that she could see past it. At the other end of the room, her 7 month old daughter was lying.  
"Oh my god! Ben! Is she breathing!?" Ben chuckled, and pointed the light directly at the tiny girls limp body so that Santana could see for herself the slow rising of the little child's chest. She was breathing. At least that was something.  
"What do you want?" Santana asked through gritted teeth. Ben smiled a toothy grin which sent a shiver down Santana's spine.  
"Well Santana, the stakes have been risen. Since you are obviously going to do anything to save dear little Brittany, I'm starting to get... Well.. Bored. So, we're going to play a new game. It's either Susan, your 7 month old daughter, or Brittany Pierce, your beloved girlfriend." He took a step backwards, clearly satisfied with himself, a smug grin plastered on his face.  
"No! You cannot do that!" Santana said frantically.  
"I just did. I need to hear your answer Santana. Or they both die." Santana's heart was racing, sweat forming on her face. She shook her head violently.  
"No. No. No" her breathing got heavier. Faster. It was getting hard to breath. "No. You can't. Neither. Me! Kill me! Let them both live!" Ben chuckled again, and stepped back towards Santana.  
"That wasn't an option" he said, anger laced in his voice. "Now pick one to die, or you will be living a life without either of them.  
"No, you wouldn't do that. Kill ME." Ben shook his head and pulled a concealed knife out of his waist band.  
"Do it. Kill me" Ben smiled his evil smile and started walking over to Susan.  
"NO! Ben! You wouldn't kill her. She is your child as well!" He picked her up, holding the knife above her tiny, defenceless body.  
"Last chance Santana" he said menacingly.  
"BRITTANY! I choose Brittany! Just leave my daughter alone!" Ben nodded, walking over to place the baby in the Latina's lap and cutting her hands free. Santana could tell he was happy with her answer. Giving her the baby had been her reward._

__Santana looked weakly up at Brittany. Brittany was crying. There was so much hurt and betrayal in those sky blue eyes, Santana had to force herself to look away from them. It was too heartbreaking to see innocent Brittany with so much sadness in her eyes.  
"You... You have a daughter? And... you what? You chose me to die? Is he after me now San?" Brittany's voice sounded scared.  
"Brit, no. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."  
"Santana, you already did," and with that, she turned around, got in her car and drove away without looking back.


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as Brittany got to the end of the road, she realised how selfish she was being. Santana had finally opened up to her after all this time about everything, and she had completely shut her down. For Santana to have finally been honest with her about Ben was a huge step and she was being stupid and immature. She wasn't acting like herself. She had run away because she was scared that he was now after her, that he still wanted her dead. But now she was scared for a different reason. Whether Santana would forgive her for what she had just done.  
Without even realising it, Brittany had turned the car around and was once again parked in front of Santana's house. The front door was still wide open, but Santana was nowhere to be seen.  
Brittany walked through the seemingly empty house looking from room to room. Her bedroom, the kitchen, the lounge room, the guest room, the dining room...  
"Santana?" she called, but got no response. Just as she thought Santana was intentionally trying to hide from her, she found her in the bathroom, curled up on the floor. Brittany rushed to her side. Santana's frail body was heaving up and down with violent sobbing.  
"San, I'm so sorry. I am such an idiot." Santana didn't look up, just wiped tears out of her eyes. "Sani, I don't know what got over me. I guess I was angry, at what he did to you, not what you said. Not at what you did... And I was scared, he is still out there San. I'm sorry, I acted like a child instead of acting like a good girlfriend. I'm so-SO sorry San. I genuinely feel like the biggest idiot, I totally messed things up. I'm sorry." There was a pause as Brittany tried to think of what to say next. She tried to think of something that would make her actions okay.. But she knew nothing would ever make her actions okay. That was the problem.  
"San, it broke my heart to hear what he did to you. Knowing someone took advantage of how strong you are and turned it into a game... You are so brave San. I'm so proud of you. I know how hard it was for you to tell me what happened, and I didn't give you a chance. You mean the absolute world to me. I love you so much. And I know none of this is an excuse for what I did and that it doesn't make up for me running away, but I will apologise to you every day for a year if I have to.." Brittany trailed off, furrowing her eyebrows.  
Santana slowly got up and sat cross-legged in front of Brittany.  
"I'm sorry" she said glumly.  
"No, don't be sorry. You shouldn't be sorry. You did the right thing, you did what any normal person would have done. _I'm _sorry for what I did when I found out. I was being selfish and immature and the thought of him touching you and doing all those things made me so sad. So sad and angry and it made me want to find him and make him pay for what he did." Brittany reached over and wiped the falling tears off Santana's face with the end of her sleeve. Santana shrugged.  
"I was mad at myself for doing it, I can't expect you to not be... But... I couldn't watch my daughter get killed by that monster. I just couldn't. My only hope was that he wouldn't be able to find you. I hoped maybe you had moved far away and he couldn't catch you. Luckily the police were right on his trail and he wasn't even able to find you, and instead of killing you, he's on the run. They will catch him Brit, I know they will. If they found him before, they will find him again. They are smarter than he is." Brittany shook her head.  
"I didn't have a right to be angry. You went through so much and you stayed strong for so long... I'm sorry... I really am." There was another long pause.  
"You named your daughter Susan?" Brittany asked suddenly. Santana smiled at the mention of her daughter's name and nodded her head.  
"Yes, she reminded me of you so I used your middle name. Besides, then it felt like I always had a piece of you with me." Brittany pulled Santana into a warm hug.  
"I'm sorry I was such an arse San. I am staying here tonight" she said as she pulled away from the Latina. "I'm going to take you out for dinner. How does breadstix sound?" Santana smiled, she always loved that place. "I'm going to help you through this San, we will do it together." Brittany stood up and then helped Santana up on her feet, then started running the bath, adding lots of bubbles.  
"Let's get you cleaned up a bit" Brittany said with a small smile. She helped Santana get unchanged, but nothing could have prepared the blonde for what lay under the Latina's clothes. Her once perfect body was now scared and twisted. Brittany traced a large white scar with her fingers which ran from Santana's side to just under her bellybutton. There was a lump on the Latina's side where one of her ribs had obviously broken and then not mended properly. Santana winced as she watched Brittany examining her. These marks would always be constant reminders of what had happened to her.  
"They're so ugly" Santana said frowning as Brittany brushed her fingers over another scar. Brittany looked into Santana's sad, brown eyes.  
"You're beautiful San. You will always be beautiful" she said honestly and leaned down to gently kiss Santana on the lips, then helped her into the warm, soapy water.

After Santana's bath she got changed into clean clothes and makeup. She looked like Santana again, she looked healthy. She was wearing black, skinny jeans with her brown ankle boots, a white flowing top and a navy cardigan. Her hair was still damp and hung loose down the length of her back. Brittany couldn't help but smile as soon as her girlfriend entered the room.  
"Well?" Santana asked smiling. "Do I look better now?" Brittany nodded, biting her bottom lip. She put her arms around the Latina's neck and kissed her. A kiss which was intended to only be a peck, but ended up lingering into something more.  
"We have to go, our reservation is for 7" Brittany reluctantly pulled away from the Latina's embrace.  
"Unless..." Santana started, kissing Brittany again on the lips. "You wanted to..." -another kiss- "order takeaway and..." -kiss- "Stay in..." Santana smirked, wrapping her arms back around Brittany's waist. Brittany smiled and picked up her phone.  
"Pizza?" Santana nodded and watched her girlfriend make the call, her arms still wrapped around her.


End file.
